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Show 1897.] EXISTING FORMS OF GIRAFFE. 275 and capensis in the Paris Museum, as these names have been attributed to Geoffroy, but no published diagnoses of them can be discovered. Swainson (1835, Geogr. Class. Anim. part i. p. 95) calls the Northern Giraffe Camelopardalls antlquorum, and refers to the characters given by Biippell as a foundation for this name. The Giraffe of Southern Africa is referred to as C. australis, but no description is given, nor is there any reference to the published plates, so that the name is a nomen nudum. A. Smith in his 'Beport on the Expedition into the Interior of Africa 1834,' published in 1836, refers to the Giraffe of South Africa between the Biver Ka Gariep (Orange B.) and the Tropic of Capricorn as Camelopardalls australis, Sw.; but this cannot be called a diagnosis, so this name also falls as a nomen nudum. Ogilby, in his paper on the " Genera of Buminantia" (P. Z. S. 1836, p. 134), under Camelopardalls, says " Duo species sunt C.cethlo-picus et C. capensis." Whence the former of these two names was derived I am unable to make out, but there was ample excuse for the author finding it necessary to provide fresh specific names for both species, as almost all authors since Gmelin had used Linnasus's specific name as the generic name, aud Giraffa, which was given in the first place to the genus by Brisson (Begn. Anim., Dist. Quad. et Cetac. 1762, p. 37), could not be used specifically. Unfortunately Ogilby gives no diagnosis, and mentions no types for his species, so his names again must fall as nomina nuda. In the Transactions of this Society, 1838, Owen points out certain characters in the cranium of the " Cape Giraffe " as distinguishing it from the "Nubian Giraffe," and, although he had only young specimens of the latter form, seems thoroughly to have recognized the validity of the two species, but introduces no Latin names. Lesson (Nouv. Tabl. Begne Animal, 1842, p. 168) gives " 1278, Camelopardalls giraffa, Gniel., Nubie et Sennaar"; and " 1279. Camelopardalls capensis, Cap de Bonne Esperance, la Giraffe Levaill. Voy. pl. 8 & 9 "; and so, in thus referring to a figure, must take the credit of having first proposed a tenable name for the Cape form. Gray, in the ' List of the Specimens of Mammalia in the Collection of the British Museum/ 1843, p. 170, acknowledging but one species, under Camelopardalls giraffa, Gmel., gives as synonyms C. sennaarensis and C. capensis, Geoffr.; but, as shown above, these names had never been published or the forms described by Geoffroy. Sundevallin 1844, K. Vet.-Akad. Handl. Stockh. p. 174, gives :- " Cameloparclalis giraffa, Schreb., unlca species, oc. in Africa meridionall, extra tropicum, colore paulo obscurior.-j3. HUthloplca, e Sennaar, alba, fulvo-maculata, pills brevisslmls." Gray, 1852, Cat. M a m m . Brit. Mus. p. 180, gives one species, " Giraffa camelopar•clalis, L., with one variety (' paler'), C. giraffa /3. ceihiopica, Sundevall." It will be noticed that Gray here revives the original generic name and also uses the proper specific name given by Linnasus; and it seems quite unaccountable how 18* |
